You just shuddup your face

I have just been advised in writing by Peter Minter, the poetry editor of Overland magazine, that as of 2014 he will not be publishing ANY poets who publish in Quadrant and that he doesn’t ‘wish to have any association with the authors of a journal edited by Keith Windschuttle.’ His ‘New Year’s Resolution’ apparently.

Okay – so there is freedom of association. But …

Why do Australian tax dollars continue to fund such a narrow-minded agenda that punishes fine Australian and international poets for being recognized, and spotlighted, by one of the world’s most esteemed and celebrated poets, not to mention an Australian Living National Treasure, Les Murray, the poetry editor of Quadrant? This is a great honor, not something to be chastised or ashamed of. (Doubly disgraceful, too, as Minter is a poet who has himself been published in an anthology edited by none other than Mr Murray. I didn’t hear him objecting with all this waffle then. Warning: shout this man a beer in the pub at your peril!)

If the Overland editors have a problem with Keith Windschuttle, debate him – or challenge him to a duel, or something ? Don’t take it out on the magazine’s poetry editor who has more insight about what constitutes real poetry and has been more celebrated for it than any other Australian poet in history. And don’t take it out on the rest of us struggling writers who need to have our work presented to the Australian public, in every poetic forum possible, free of political grandstanding.

I have no problem with the editors on Overland deciding not to publish good Australian literature for political purposes – what I do have a problem with is the taxpayer financing those private choices. The solution, however, is not to defund Overland but rather the abolish the grants system that is so obviously biased.

I believe I recall that one of the valuable proposals from the 20/20 forum was that Australian artists should be paid a wage by the government. Obviously too much even for the Ruddster, or would that be giving him too much credit?
But yeah, delete the Arts Council or whatever that sinecure for lefty has beens is called.

So we have only his word that he “was born in Newcastle into a family of coal miners, sailors and fishermen, descendant of a mix of English, Scottish and Aboriginal heritage”, the last qualifier of which has enabled him to build a lucrative career as a “Koori” academic. And we’re not meant to be suspicious of the fact that he is an associate of another “Aboriginal” identity specialist, Anita Hess, who was so defensive about her use of her “Aboriginality” that she wrote a book about it (“Am I Black Enough For Y0u?”). And he happens to be a radical leftwinger who works for the radical leftwing journal Overland. And he wants to punish anyone who has anything to do with the man who exploded one of the Aboriginal industry’s central victimhood myths, the “stolen generation”, which has also been the foundation for a number of (so far unsuccessful) legal money-grabs.

There are no justifications for industry assistance and that includes the arts industry. If someone wants to spend their time doing art, then they have to make it pay. If they can’t get people to willingly hand over their money to support art, it is fundamental immoral to get governments to force them to do so.

So we have only his word that he “was born in Newcastle into a family of coal miners, sailors and fishermen, descendant of a mix of English, Scottish and Aboriginal heritage”, the last qualifier of which has enabled him to build a lucrative career as a “Koori” academic. And we’re not meant to be suspicious of the fact that he is an associate of another “Aboriginal” identity specialist, Anita Hess, who was so defensive about her use of her “Aboriginality” that she wrote a book about it (“Am I Black Enough For Y0u?”). And he happens to be a radical leftwinger who works for the radical leftwing journal Overland. And he wants to punish anyone who has anything to do with the man who exploded one of the Aboriginal industry’s central victimhood myths, the “stolen generation”, which has also been the foundation for a number of (so far unsuccessful) legal money-grabs.

Sorry, sport. You’ve been sprung.

Good one, Tom. Sprung!

JMJoseph there are a lot of very pale skinned blue eyed Aboriginal tax payer funded/ grants recipients about. The Jetstar magazine did a story on another one. Good thing nobodies profiling anybody these days.

There are no justifications for industry assistance and that includes the arts industry. If someone wants to spend their time doing art, then they have to make it pay. If they can’t get people to willingly hand over their money to support art, it is fundamental immoral to get governments to force them to do so.

Dolce makes a good point. Though also it should be pointed out that Quadrant gets a small government grant too – I think for its poetry/literature content (though I could be wrong on that and stand to be corrected).

It was worse than that, it was Labor’s New directions for the Arts from 2007, handily dealt with by Peter Costello in one memorable question time.

It says that Labor ‘will review the current state of artists’ incomes and introduce initiatives that enable artists currently on welfare greater opportunity to produce work’. I will repeat that: artists who are on welfare need greater opportunity to produce work. You might say to yourself, ‘If you’re on welfare, you would have a lot of time to produce work if you were an artist.’

Dolce makes a good point. Though also it should be pointed out that Quadrant gets a small government grant too – I think for its poetry/literature content (though I could be wrong on that and stand to be corrected).

It was massively reduced under the previous government, and subscribers/donors made up the difference. You could argue they should forgo it entirely but the counterargument is that we pay taxes too and doing this means the funds will be shunted straight to Overland and its ilk.

TimT: Yes, Quadrant scored $20K in the most recent OzCouncil handouts from — but that sum is administered and apportioned by Les Murray, our poetry and fiction editor. No one else who writes for Quadrant is paid.

Interesting to note: Between 2009 and 2013, Overland received a total of $399,000 in federal grants.

Quadrant collected $120K during the same period, with the annual sum declining from $35K to the current $20K.

2008: “Deadly” Award for an Outstanding Contribution to Aboriginal Literature for the Macquarie Pen Anthology of Aboriginal Literature, with co-editor Dr. Anita Heiss.

2008: University of Sydney, International Program Development Fund: for Espejo De Tierra: Earth Mirror, an anthology of Chilean Mapuche and Australian Aboriginal poetry and art, with the Chilean Embassy, Australia, $2,500 as editor.

It was massively reduced under the previous government, and subscribers/donors made up the difference. You could argue they should forgo it entirely but the counterargument is that we pay taxes too and doing this means the funds will be shunted straight to Overland and its ilk.

What role does Indigenous poetry / literature play in Australian society today?
Indigenous literature in all its forms is a resounding answer-back to the machineries of European invasion and colonisation. It records the memory of people and events that European authority attempted to silence, and in doing so it signifies the survival of Indigenous ways of being and thinking. It also expresses the experiences, hopes and aspirations of contemporary Indigenous peoples who live in the wake of a terrible history, but who are also at the prow of a great cultural resurgence. This Indigenous literary renewal is happening alongside some very deep and positive developments in settler Australian culture and literature, and when taken together they reveal very significant transformations going on in the Australian human condition.

Dot – I see you raising the ARC grant issue. I have been folllowing every year’s outcome (announced around November) for twenty-odd years, particularly the ones in engineering. In many cases, there is no tangible and usable output after 3 or 5 years, except for few projects. I can somewhat understand the discovery projects not resulting in usable outcome after 3/4 years, but the Linkage projects (with industry involvement) should. However, except lots of journal publications (with little prospects of practical application), nothing much of substance results. One reason, I think, is that the ARC is full of College of Experts who have not practiced their art beyond publications, and are not in a position to query the outcome. Most (not all) of them are chosen/elected based on their journal publications/citations/H-index/editorial board of professional society membership.
On the main subject of this thread – the action by the Overland editor is mean-minded to say the least. It is sad to see that the so-called educated members of our society resort to this sort of tactics, and using other peoples money. It is wrong.

“If the Overland editors have a problem with Keith Windschuttle, debate him – or challenge him to a duel, or something ? Don’t take it out on the magazine’s poetry editor who has more insight about what constitutes real poetry”
Ah Joe, it’s the collective mentality of the Left, don’t you know?

“Earth Mirror, an anthology of Chilean Mapuche and Australian Aboriginal poetry and art, with the Chilean Embassy, Australia, $2,500 as editor.”
WTF? I’ve no problem if arts academics want to engage in this sort of project but why do I, the proverbial taxpayer, have to subsidise it? They’re already paid handsome salaries – if they think a literary project’s worth it let them take the risk or find their own backers.

As to what sabrina said – the Journal of Financial Economics is hugely successful and started because no one thought Jensen’s stuff was “worthy”.

The metrics young researchers are taught to target are erronous and misguided. They are great if you want a career, never to be noticed outside of your workplace and never want to contribute to society.

Overland? Well, they’ve lost me. I won’t publish me poetry with them.
Their loss.
Not Quadrant’s gain, of course, but I never said it was.
Sinc should put up a poetry thread, and we could all have a go.

How I love to have a Grolsch with Dolce,
I love to have a beer with Joe.
We talk and talk in rhyming verse,
And we never say each other’s lyric stunk.
We drink at the Orb & Quadrant,
Where the atmosphere is great;
I love to have a Grolsch with Dolce,
Cause Dolce’s a mate!

Rhyming verse? It could be worse.
Perhaps Post-Modern? A path well-trodden
by Overland’s lefties and other false hefties.
Stay with me Bloggie, don’t turn all soggy;
Doggerel’s amusing for leftie abusing.

blogstrop – almost there mate! Good one. One rhyme adjustment for flow. Try:

How I love to have a Grolsch with Dolce,
I love to have a beer with Joe.
We talk and talk in rhyming verse,
And we never say whose lyric was worse.
We drink at the Orb & Quadrant,
Where the atmosphere is great;
I love to have a Grolsch with Dolce,
Cause Dolce’s a mate!

yes I can see a kind a asinine rhyme there
BLOT IT OUT black shoe in which I have had to live as a foot for
(but I digress)
Death of course with tofurky
my navel itches
said the old commie bastard

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Liberty Quotes

The decisive uncertainty for the future of democracy is its ability – or failure – to rein in over-government to the ‘optimum’ amount that the people are freely willing to pay for in taxes. And here they may prefer not only less to more government; they may also take a chance on too little government that they can expand rather than the too much government they cannot discipline once it takes root.— Arthur Seldon